The original Hupana marked Hoka’s foray into the running-lifestyle category—a shoe that looks good casually, but will still get the job done for your daily miles. Its sequel shares nearly all the DNA from the first version, and performed in the lab nearly identically to its predecessor, maintaining Hoka’s classic firm cushioning and quick, rolling ride. The biggest changes in the Hupana 2 are purely aesthetic, which is certainly not a knock to the 2, because they’re why we really love it. Hoka outfits the model with a brand new knit upper that’s styled enough for kicking around in jeans or running errands—something that is hard to say of the brand’s beefier rocker-soled shoes. And combined with its light weight, testers liked that the shoe had them covered for workouts and weekends alike, especially if they only had room to stash a single pair in their carry-on bag.

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But the Hupana doesn’t skimp on support for your runs either. The neutral road shoe still inherits Hoka’s bouncy foam at its midsole, as well as a grippy blended rubber sole, that made our testers confident for higher mileage. Plus, both the men’s and women’s models get fresh coats of paint, featuring colors from blackened pearl to grenadine.

Trevor Raab

The Slimmest Hoka Sole

Back in 2013, Hoka whipped up a new material for its midsoles that blends a super soft foam with traditional rubber. Dubbed RMAT, this is the compound that helps give the Hupana its smooth, rolling ride and high-rebound sole. According to data from the RW Shoe Lab, the material’s claims are on point—the shoe’s energy return easily beats the average of shoes we’ve tested, meaning you lose less energy with each footstrike.

The lone quirk found by our testers was that the Hupana’s heel-to-drop drop felt much higher than advertised—and our lab data backed them up. The men’s and women’s models measured at 12.2 mm and 8.0 mm, respectively, which stood out to one of our midfoot-striking male testers. “I personally wasn’t convinced of the Hupana’s 5 mm drop. I found myself dragging and getting my shoe front caught on the running surface. I felt as though I didn’t have my typical stride.”

Trevor Raab

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Flexible and Grippy Tread

A swirling network of grooves on the Hupana’s outsole, combined with the thinner midsole, make it slightly more flexible than models like the Bondi or the Speedgoat, but you’ve still got a pretty stiff Hoka on foot. Testers found that the added flexibility made the shoe better for wearing all day, and comfy enough to kick back after a workout. They were also pleasantly surprised by the shoe’s excellent grip in both dry and wet conditions. “Solid traction was apparent in cornering, descending, and ascending climbs,” one tester noted. “Not once did I feel like the shoe would slip out from underneath me.”

A Stylish, Breathable Knit

In a departure from the traditional Hoka silhouette, the Hupana has a much lower profile that puts your foot closer to the ground. Combined with the more breathable knit upper, it appears that the brand may be dabbling in the trends we’ve seen from the likes of Nike and Adidas. With one exception, our testers appreciated Hoka breaking new ground with running-lifestyle crossover kicks. The Hupana has a distinctly narrower toe box than the rest of its Hoka family, and testers with wide feet wanted either more room to wiggle, or a wider version. “I prefer the wider toe box of an Altra or Topo, but can usually still do well in a standard fit,” one tester remarked. “However, this shoe rubbed my smallest toe a bit, which I never experienced in the Cliftons.”

All the Stats You Need!

Men’s

Weight: Very Light | 8.0 oz

Heel-To-Toe-Drop: Very High | 12.2 mm

Heel Height: Very High | 35.6 mm

Heel Cushioning: Soft

Forefoot Height: Moderate | 23.3 mm

Forefoot Cushioning: Soft

Flexibility: Stiff

Stability Features: More

Energy Return: More

Women’s

Weight: Very Light | 6.7 oz

Heel-To-Toe-Drop: Moderate | 8.0 mm

Heel Height: Moderate | 30.8 mm

Heel Cushioning: Firm

Forefoot Height: High | 22.9 mm

Forefoot Cushioning: Soft

Flexibility: Moderate

Stability Features: More

Energy Return: More

We put each shoe through real-world usage and a battery of mechanical tests in our lab to provide you with objective—and exclusive—data. In addition to a shoe’s weight, we measure sole thickness (everything that sits between your foot and the road), how well the foam cushions your stride, and the flexibility of the forefoot. All this is taken into account in our reviews of each shoe.

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